Carbon Monoxide Safety: Cooking During a Power Outage

Two carbon monoxide alarms. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA).

When the power goes out, a grill or portable camp stove can look like the easiest way to get dinner done. Moving it into the garage to stay dry is a dangerous shortcut. The CDC's power outage guidance warns that emergency fuel use for cooking and other household needs can cause carbon monoxide to build up in a home, garage, or camper. Where you cook matters.

My Solar Oven uses sunlight for its cooking heat without burning cooking fuel. That gives you another way to prepare a meal once conditions are safe and direct sun returns. It doesn't change the safety rules for a generator running nearby, and it isn't a reason to go outside during dangerous weather.

Carbon monoxide is a gas you cannot smell

Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a colorless, odorless poisonous gas. The Consumer Product Safety Commission explains that it comes from incomplete burning of fuels, including charcoal, wood, propane, and natural gas. Engines such as portable generators produce it too.

The problem goes beyond an unpleasant smell or smoky room. According to the CDC's clinical guidance, CO interferes with oxygen delivery and with how cells use oxygen, particularly in the heart and brain. You cannot use your nose to decide whether a cooking space is safe.

A storm creates the occasion for changing equipment and routines. Dinner still needs making, but the kitchen outlet no longer works. That is when a familiar outdoor appliance can end up somewhere it was never meant to run.

An open garage door does not make it safe

The CDC says combustion fumes can accumulate in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. The CPSC warns that even open doors and windows can leave spaces trapping CO from engine-powered equipment. An opening is not proof that the fumes are clearing.

For cooking, the rules are specific: never use a charcoal grill or portable camping stove inside a home, tent, or camper. CPSC also says never burn charcoal in a garage or vehicle. A wet afternoon doesn't make an exception.

Charcoal deserves particular attention. The CDC notes that burning charcoal gives off CO whether it is red, gray, black, or white. A change in color is not an all-clear to bring it indoors.

Keep outdoor cooking equipment outdoors and follow its instructions. If you cannot use it in a safe location, change the meal plan instead of improvising an indoor setup. The CDC also says never use a gas range or oven to heat your home.

The generator distance is a separate rule

A generator may be supplying electricity rather than cooking dinner directly, but its exhaust still needs attention. The CDC says to operate generators outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. The CPSC also says to keep generators at least 20 feet from the home, with exhaust facing away.

Use portable generators outdoors in a well-ventilated area away from your home. Illustration by the U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), not to scale.

Those are generator instructions. They are not a universal grill clearance or permission to use any fuel-burning appliance wherever a tape measure says 20 feet. Grills and portable cooking equipment have their own instructions. The CDC also warns against using generators, grills, and camp stoves outside near an open window or window air conditioner.

Have an alarm, and know when to leave

The CPSC recommends battery-operated CO alarms or alarms with battery backup on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. Check them before an outage, following the manufacturer's instructions. CPSC is clear that an alarm does not replace correct equipment use and upkeep.

The CDC lists headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion as common symptoms of CO poisoning. If you suspect CO poisoning, the CPSC says to get outside to fresh air immediately, then call 911. Do not wait for an alarm to confirm your suspicion.

If the CO alarm sounds, CPSC's instructions are to move outside immediately, call emergency services, account for everyone, and stay out until responders give permission to return. Do not stay inside to find the source. Suspected poisoning needs prompt medical attention, even if an alarm hasn't sounded.

Where sunlight fits in an outage plan

The useful difference with solar cooking is how the heat is made. My Solar Oven turns sunlight into cooking heat, so it doesn't require burning charcoal or running a propane burner for that meal. The fuel-burning CO source is absent from that part of the cooking.

That is a practical reason to have another cooking method available. When the weather clears, you can make a daytime meal without moving an outdoor burner into the house. Try the setup before you need it, with food you already enjoy cooking. An outage is a poor time to learn unfamiliar equipment while everyone is hungry.

What My Solar Oven can't do

My Solar Oven needs direct sunlight. It doesn't cook after sunset or provide dependable cooking through sustained overcast. Keep ready-to-eat food available for weather that doesn't cooperate, and follow local emergency instructions about when it is safe to be outside.

It also doesn't generate electricity or power a refrigerator. Safe food storage remains a separate job. The CDC's outage guidance covers refrigeration and food disposal; changing your cooking method doesn't replace those rules.

Using My Solar Oven doesn't remove CO from nearby generators, vehicles, or household appliances. Keep the alarms working and the equipment safety rules in place, whatever is cooking for lunch.

If you'd like a way to handle sunny-day meals without burning cooking fuel, take a look at My Solar Oven. Practice with it on an ordinary clear day so you know how it fits your household before the next outage.